Our inner selves guide us, so why do we want to quiet them?

Have you ever heard your inner selves? That intuition guiding you when you’re unsure of your next steps. That voice (or even those voices) that show up unexpectedly ready to share some insight. They’re different to conscious thoughts that we use to work through problems or to plan our diaries. They’re familiar and absolutely come from within. I recognise mine as inner speech, voices that are a part of me, but I’m not always aware of them.

Just take a moment now to consider if you’ve had these types of experiences. Are they regular occurrences? How would you describe what happens for you? Some people say they’ve never experienced an inner self, and I used to think they were lucky. Now it’s nice knowing I’m not constantly surrounded by an inescapable silence.

It’s taken some time and real effort to connect with my inner selves and the value they add to my life. I believe the key reason it’s taken me so long is for most of my adult life I wasn’t even aware of the concept of multiple selves, except in relation to mental illness. I’d heard people talk about their inner critic or inner child, and I understood these to a certain extent. I just saw them as negative influences. Ones to be quieted down or pushed aside so I could get on with my life without interruption.

Over time I’ve stopped paying attention to popular guidance that suggests how to ignore my inner selves. Instead I’ve chosen to listen to what they have to share with me. I give them space to communicate, and I pay attention as they often hide their most important messages. We’ve all experienced sarcastic individuals who say one thing but mean something completely different. Well my inner selves act in a similar way. Sometimes what they express to me has a hidden meaning that I need to uncover by working with them.

As I continue to pay attention and engage, I’m identifying patterns and learning to decipher the real messages quicker. I now know that when I hear an inner self, it’s important to listen as I’ve missed something important and need to adapt what I’m doing. The truth is they are all part of me. And I always want the best for myself. So, if my inner selves deliver a negative communication, it’s still coming from a good place and deserves my attention.